Graves to Gardens Podcast

We're continuing to demystify what it means to be an activist engaged in policy reform with this incredibly insightful interview with Khalil Cumberbatch. Khalil is a nationally recognized advocate for criminal justice and deportation policy reform who serves as the Director of Engagement and Partnerships for the Council on Criminal Justice.

Khalil shares not just his story but the ways in which his past informs the way he advocates for those who are not always in a position to do so for themselves. And while he shares his testimony, he leaves behind a pathway for each of us, especially those who once felt powerless to advocate on their behalf, to see in what ways they can show up in rooms and serve as an informed advocate for themselves and their community.

To learn more about the Council on Criminal Justice, click the link here. Also you can follow the CCJ on Instagram as well as Khalil on Twitter. Be sure to also check out and support the work of Freer Records whose music was featured in today's episode!

To listen to full clips shared in today's episode, you can access it below:

(In order)

The Skin Deep

A&E | Redeemed | Episode 6

Bridge Church | Soul Cafe Series

NACDL | Lessons Learned - Combatting Misinformation Around Bail Reform

Proverbs 11:9

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

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Today's episode wraps our mental health series with an interview from a talented poet and artist based in Philadelphia, PA.

About 27 years ago, Eddie Ramirez was wrongfully convicted of a crime and it was while he was incarcerated that he began to explore art as a professional. During his time at SCI Phoenix he worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia on a number of projects. Then in November of 2023, Eddie was finally exonerated and has continued to work with the organization that brought him the artistic outlet he needed while inside.

To follow Eddie and his journey you can check him out on instagram here. To learn more about The View from Here click here.

Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

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Today in prisons all across the country incarcerated journalists are faced with a myriad of challenges when it comes to reporting on and publishing stories. In today's conversation I speak with freelance criminal justice reporter, Khawla Nakua on these barriers and others while also shedding light on organizations and publications that are stepping up to bridge the gap where those barriers present themselves.

To learn more about Khawla and her work, click the link here. If you would like a copy of the book that inspired today's title, Inside This Place, Not of It, purchase your copy by clicking the link here. Finally for those wanting to support press in prisons you can donate from either of the three listed: Scalawag, Empowerment Avenue, and Prison Journalism Project.

Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

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In today's episode we're taking wellness to the mat, the pilates mat that is. Join me and Lisa Coffee-Smith, Owner and Director of Instructor Training at Total Pilates Studio located in Tulsa Oklahoma. According to the Sentencing Project, as of 2021 Oklahoma had the 3rd largest female incarceration rate in the country. However, at the time that Lisa connected with Resonance, a local nonprofit working with women and families tied up in the penal system, Oklahoma had the highest rate of female incarceration.

In an effort to meet the needs of women impacted by the system in a way that felt authentic to her, Lisa reached out to Resonance and offered her services teaching women coming home the art of pilates. Lisa spent four years prior to the pandemic working with women of all different skill level, creating a safe space for them to heal and feel encouraged to stay committed to something that would make them stronger (physically and mentally). In today's episode Lisa recounts her time instructing women over those four years and how that's shaped her practice even today.

If you would like to stay connected with Lisa you can visit her studio's website at Total Pilates Studio or visit and follow them on Instagram. For anyone interested in supporting Resonance, you can donate to the nonprofit by clicking the link here.

Luke 5:31

Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

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It’s May which means it’s officially mental health awareness month. In honor of that I bring you a very tranquil episode featuring the founder of a company who spends most of her time out on the water.

Meet Brannon Johnson, Founder and Head Coach of BLJ Community Rowing - the first and only black rowing company in the country. This gem of an organization is making its mark right in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River where it is not only breaking racial barriers in the sport of rowing but it is also creating space for those that are systems impacted to find their place in the sport without fear of having to seen through the lens of their previous convictions.

Learn about how Brannon prioritizes the health and wellness of the community she serves through this elite sport. Today's episode will feature voices from two of her high school students and author and rower, Arshay Cooper.

To learn more about BLJ Community Rowing you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram. To get a copy of Arshay's book you can find it on Amazon.

Amos 5:24

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

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As a creative who is also an activist it can sometimes feel as if what you produce isn't making as much of an impact as you would hope. Today's episode will reaffirm to anyone who's ever thought that way that your work does in fact have the potential to make a lasting impact.

In today's episode you'll hear from Atlanta-based sculptor and visual artist, Abigail Cook. Abby's work has exhibited in many gallery spaces and she has also been published by Columbia University, Tufts University, UC Denver, Quarter Press, and Underground Journal. As the current artist and residence for the Civil Rights Core, Abby shares about the beauty in blending arts with policy work to create change.

You can follow Abby on Instagram here. For those of you who would like to become familiar with your state senate representatives, you can find a completed list here.

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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This past Tuesday, April 16th, I was invited to attend a Congressional Briefing of the Second Chance Act in Washington D.C. held by The Council of State Governments Justice Center and The Correctional Leaders Association at the Senate building on Capital Hill. And for today's episode I'm sharing some of my takeaways from the discussion!

Hear from New Jersey State Senator, Cory Booker, Peer Support Specialist at the Center for Family Services in NJ, Prince Alvarado, and Jail Population Manager for Camden County Department of Corrections, Sharon Bean on the impact the Second Chance Act has had over its 15 years since being passed into legislation by Congress.

To contact your state senate rep. please find a complete list here.

Happy 2 Year Anniversary Family 🩷💐🙏🏾

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

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6ABC News calls him a "Hometown Hero" but the young people he works with refer to him as Doc. Meet Pastor Damone Jones Sr., the Senior Pastor of Bible Way Baptist Church and Founder of the Brothahood Foundation, an organization that mentors young people detained in Philadelphia's jails.

With almost 40 years into his ministry work serving young people in the Philadelphia penal system, Pastor Jones has found a way to both uplift and learn from the young people about the needs of the community. One of the guiding scriptures of his work comes from the book of Philemon in the Bible which is the inspiration for today's title.

Hear the wise words of Pastor Jones as he speaks on his approach to advocating for young people often forgotten about and how this advocacy can look different for everyone. You'll hear him share that the importance is to know the One who's called to the work and to lean into that calling. Anyone looking to connect to his ministry in West Philadelphia you can visit his website for more information.

Philemon 1:17-18

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.

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I’d say the best kind of food is the kind that changes you. At Down North Pizza they are hard at work changing perceptions and the narrative about people impacted by the carceral system while broadening the scope of what it looks like to make an impact in the approaches to addressing this systemic issue.

Today I bring you the season 5 opener with a conversation between myself and the founder and owner of Down North Pizza, Muhammad Abdul-Hadi. Learn about the strides this Philly pizzeria has made in combating recidivism, providing opportunities for community restoration and building an even greater network through their foundation, Down North Foundation which is set to have its benefit dinner next Thursday, April 11th. 

Click to learn more about Down North Pizza, to follow the Foundation on IG and to learn more about the Foundation's benefit dinner. To check out the full episode where Down North was featured on “First We Feast” click the link here.

Isaiah 1:17

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

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On January 13, 2027 the State of Ohio intends to execute an innocent Black man, Keith LaMar. To the state he is just another life determined to be swallowed up by the system, first via a 17-life sentence and then with this pending execution. However, to the people who know him and those who have come to know him, his life has so much more meaning and value. Keith is a son, grandson, family member and loving friend. I got to also know Keith as an incredibly talented artist who had just celebrated his 54th birthday. 

Despite spending close to 37 years locked away in a cage, with 32 of those years on death row, Keith holds on to hope. He hopes that one day the system will hear the cries of his tribe urging them to refrain from taking his life. My hope for you in sharing this episode is that you become a member of this tribe to fight alongside this global coalition that demands Keith’s freedom. We do this until he (and many others) are free! 

This radio special turned episode aired on 106.5 WPPM, a Philly Community radio. To listen to the full season 3 finale, visit the link here.

As you embark on this listening experience, remember the words of the great Fannie Lou Hamer when she said, "Nobody's free until everybody's free." Let these words and the words of Keith penetrate your heart and inspire you to action today! You can support Keith’s call for commutation by visiting the Justice for Keith LaMar website. There you will find more information on how to support his campaign.

I pray on this Resurrection Sunday that we learn from the cross. Will you join the fight for an innocent man’s life? 

Ephesians 3:20

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us"

Revelation 4:11

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

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